CD3+/CD4+/CD5+/CD8+/CD21+/CD34-/CD45-/CD79a-/TCRαβ+/TCRγδ-/MHCII+ T-zone lymphoma in a dog with generalized lymphadenopathy: a case report

Canine T-zone lymphoma (TZL) is a mature T-cell lymphoma in dogs. The diagnosis and sub-classification are impossible without biopsy or immunophenotyping by flow cytometry. An 11-year-old, spayed, female Golden Retriever presented with lymph node enlargement. Clinical examination was consistent with canine multicentric lymphoma. However, immunophenotyping revealed positive for CD3, CD4, CD5, CD8, CD21, TCRαβ, and MHCII but negative for CD34, CD45, CD79a, and TCRγδ. Histopathology revealed lymphocytes expanding to the cortex-preserving architecture and thinning of the nodal capsule, and CD3 positive but PAX-5 negative. Owing to the indolent nature of TZL, careful monitoring approach without clinical intervention was utilized.

Comparison between SLAP Repair and Biceps Tenodesis with Concomitant Rotator Cuff Repair in Patients Older Than 45 Years: Minimum 2-Year Clinical and Imaging Outcomes

Background@#There is controversy over how to surgically treat symptomatic superior labrum anterior to posterior (SLAP) tears in middle-aged patients with concomitant rotator cuff tears. The aim of the study was to compare the clinical and imaging outcomes of SLAP repair versus biceps tenodesis (BT) each combined with arthroscopic rotator cuff repair (ARCR). @*Methods@#We retrospectively reviewed 35 patients older than 45 years who underwent arthroscopic surgery to manage concomitant SLAP tears and rotator cuff tears. In addition to ARCR, 17 patients underwent SLAP repair, whereas 18 patients underwent BT.Shoulder range of motion (ROM), visual analog scale (VAS) for pain, American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons (ASES) score, Constant score, and University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA) score were used for clinical assessment. The integrity of rotator cuff repair and change of superior labrum-biceps complex were evaluated by postoperative magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). @*Results@#There was significant improvement in the pain VAS and all functional scores in both groups (p < 0.001) at a mean followup of 29.4 ± 11.4 months (range, 24–84 months) postoperatively. Shoulder ROM showed significant improvement postoperatively (p < 0.05). No significant difference in outcomes could be found between the 2 groups after surgery. The retear rate of rotator cuff repair on MRI was 11.8% in the SLAP repair group and 11.1% in the BT group. @*Conclusions@#In middle-aged patients with combined SLAP lesions and rotator cuff tears, both SLAP repair and BT can be safe adjuncts to ARCR.

Factors Related to Preoperative Shoulder Pain in Patients with Atraumatic Painful Rotator Cuff Tears

BACKGROUND@#Patients with rotator cuff tears are usually afflicted with shoulder pain and disability. However, it is unclear which factors are related to shoulder pain in patients with rotator cuff tears. This study was therefore undertaken to determine the factors correlated with shoulder pain in patients with painful rotator cuff tears, but without any history of trauma.@*METHODS@#We evaluated a cohort of 745 patients with painful rotator cuff tears having no trauma history, and analyzed the relationship between pain and multiple factors including demographic data, tear characteristics, and passive range of motion. Pain was analyzed with a questionnaire concerning the visual analogue scale (VAS) for pain. Tear characteristics were determined by evaluating tear size, muscle atrophy, number of torn tendons, and presence of arthritis. Multivariate linear regression analysis and chi-squared test were applied to evaluate the relationship between the VAS for pain and variable factors.@*RESULTS@#Shoulder pain was associated with young age (p=0.01), male sex (p=0.01) and the presence of diabetes mellitus (p0.05) also showed no correlation with VAS for pain.@*CONCLUSIONS@#Young age, male sex and the presence of diabetes mellitus correlated positively with preoperative shoulder pain in patients with painful rotator cuff tears without a trauma history. Combined treatment of pain management and risk factor correction could be helpful to control preoperative shoulder pain.

Factors Related to Preoperative Shoulder Pain in Patients with Atraumatic Painful Rotator Cuff Tears

BACKGROUND: Patients with rotator cuff tears are usually afflicted with shoulder pain and disability. However, it is unclear which factors are related to shoulder pain in patients with rotator cuff tears. This study was therefore undertaken to determine the factors correlated with shoulder pain in patients with painful rotator cuff tears, but without any history of trauma. METHODS: We evaluated a cohort of 745 patients with painful rotator cuff tears having no trauma history, and analyzed the relationship between pain and multiple factors including demographic data, tear characteristics, and passive range of motion. Pain was analyzed with a questionnaire concerning the visual analogue scale (VAS) for pain. Tear characteristics were determined by evaluating tear size, muscle atrophy, number of torn tendons, and presence of arthritis. Multivariate linear regression analysis and chi-squared test were applied to evaluate the relationship between the VAS for pain and variable factors. RESULTS: Shoulder pain was associated with young age (p=0.01), male sex (p=0.01) and the presence of diabetes mellitus (p0.05) also showed no correlation with VAS for pain. CONCLUSIONS: Young age, male sex and the presence of diabetes mellitus correlated positively with preoperative shoulder pain in patients with painful rotator cuff tears without a trauma history. Combined treatment of pain management and risk factor correction could be helpful to control preoperative shoulder pain.

Cellular immunotherapy in multiple myeloma

In multiple myeloma (MM), the impaired function of several types of immune cells favors the tumor’s escape from immune surveillance and, therefore, its growth and survival. Tremendous improvements have been made in the treatment of MM over the past decade but cellular immunotherapy using dendritic cells, natural killer cells, and genetically engineered T-cells represent a new therapeutic era. The application of these treatments is growing rapidly, based on their capacity to eradicate MM. In this review, we summarize recent progress in cellular immunotherapy for MM and its future prospects.

Diagnosis of Lymphoid Malignancy by PCR for Analysis of Antigen Receptor Rearrangement after Blood Transfusion in a Dog with Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia

Acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL) is uncommon lymphoid malignancy in dogs, and its diagnosis is challenging. A 14-year-old spayed female mixed breed dog was transferred to a veterinary medical teaching hospital for an immediate blood transfusion. The dog showed lethargy, pale mucous membranes, and a weak femoral pulse. Complete blood count revealed non-regenerative anemia and severe leukopenia with thrombocytopenia. ALL was tentatively diagnosed based on the predominance of immature lymphoblasts on blood film examination. For confirmation of lymphoid malignancy, PCR for antigen receptor rearrangement (PARR) on a peripheral blood sample and flow cytometry analysis were performed after blood transfusion. Flow cytometry analysis revealed that lymphocyte subsets were of normal composition, but PARR detected a T-cell malignancy. The dog was diagnosed with ALL and survived 1 wk after diagnosis. In conclusion, after blood transfusion, flow cytometry was not a reliable diagnostic method for an ALL dog, whereas PARR could detect lymphoid malignancy. Our results suggest that PARR should be the first-line diagnostic tool to detect canine lymphoid malignancy after a blood transfusion.

Cellular immunotherapy as a beacon of hope for hematological malignancies

No abstract available.

Comparison of FcRgamma-Deficient and CD57+ Natural Killer Cells Between Cord Blood and Adult Blood in the Cytomegalovirus-Endemic Korean Population

BACKGROUND: FcRgamma-deficient natural killer (NK) cells (g-NK cells) have been associated with cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection. However, the frequency of g-NK cells in a CMV-endemic area (i.e., Korea) has not yet been studied. We examined the frequency of g-NK cells and expression of CD57 on NK cells in cord blood (CB) and adult blood (AB). METHODS: Of the 24 AB samples collected, 95.8% (23/24) were CMV IgG+/IgM-, while 100% of the 13 healthy CB samples were CMV IgG+/IgM-. We performed whole-blood flow cytometry assays to analyze intracellular FcRgamma and CD3zeta expression of CD3-/CD56dim NK cells from 13 CB and 24 AB samples, and surface CD57 expression on CD3-/CD56dim/CD16+ NK cells from 13 CB and 19 AB samples. RESULTS: All CMV seropositive AB samples contained g-NK cells (23/23), and the median proportion of g-NK cells in the CD3-/CD56dim NK cell pool was 35.0% (range: 11-77%). CD57+ NK cells in the CD3-/CD56dim/CD16+ NK cell population were detected in all 19 AB samples tested, but not in any CB samples. CONCLUSIONS: Our data suggest that g-NK cells and CD57+ NK cells are present at a very high frequency in CMV-seropositive AB, but rare in CMV-naive CB.

Ex vivo Expansion of Human Natural Killer Cells from Blood Retained in a Disposable Platelet Apheresis Set / 대한수혈학회지

BACKGROUND: Natural killer cells expanded from human peripheral blood (PB) have been used in cancer immunotherapy research. Although most research teams have access to human PB, it is necessary to find a source of blood that can be easily obtained. We have tested the possibility of using blood retained in a disposable platelet apheresis set as an alternative source, with special interest in expansion of NK cells for use in cancer immunotherapy research. METHODS: For expansion of NK cells, peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) were isolated from an MCS+ platelet apheresis kit (Haemonetics, Braintree, USA) and PB from the same donor (n=7) and co-cultured with 100-Gy gamma ray-irradiated K562 cells expressing the 4-1BB ligand and membrane-bound IL-15 for three weeks in RPMI1640 medium in the presence of IL-2 and IL-15. Cytotoxicity was measured using WST-1 at 1:1, 2:1, and 4:1 effector-to-target (E:T) ratios for a period of four hours. RESULTS: Mean rate of expansion of NK cells was 1,097-fold and their purity was 94.4% from blood retained in a disposable platelet apheresis set; mean rate of expansion of NK cells was 953-fold and their purity was 92.0% from PB after a period of three weeks. No differences in cytotoxicity against K562, 697, Raji, and RPMI8226 were observed between NK cells expanded from two blood sources. CONCLUSION: Blood retained in a disposable platelet apheresis set is a useful and convenient source for expansion of NK cells for use in cancer immunotherapy research.

Natural killer cell-based immunotherapy for treating cancer: will it be promising? / 대한혈액학회지

No abstract available.

Co-authorship patterns and networks of Korean radiation oncologists

PURPOSE: This research aimed to analyze the patterns of co-authorship network among the Korean radiation oncologists and to identify attributing factors for the formation of networks. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 1,447 articles including contents of 'Radiation Oncology' and 'Therapeutic Radiology' were searched from the KoreaMed database. The co-authorship was assorted by the author's full name, affiliation and specialties. UCINET 6.0 was used to figure out the author's network centrality and the cluster analysis, and KeyPlayer 1.44 program was used to get a result of key player index. Sociogram was analyzed with the Netdraw 2.090. The statistical comparison was performed by a t-test and ANOVA using SPSS 16.0 with p-value < 0.05 as the significant value. RESULTS: The number of articles written by a radiation oncologist as the first author was 1,025 out of 1,447. The pattern of co-authorship was classified into five groups. For articles of which the first author was a radiation oncologist, the number of single-author articles (type-A) was 81; single-institution articles (type-B) was 687; and multiple-author articles (type-C) was 257. For the articles which radiation oncologists participated in as a co-author, the number of single-institution articles (type-D) was 280 while multiple-institution articles (type-E) were 142. There were 8,895 authors from 1,366 co-authored articles, thus the average number of authors per article was 6.51. It was 5.73 for type-B, 6.44 for type-C, 7.90 for type-D, and 7.67 for type-E (p = 0.000) in the average number of authors per article. The number of authors for articles from the hospitals published more than 100 articles was 7.23 while form others was 5.94 (p = 0.005). Its number was 5.94 and 7.16 for the articles published before and after 2001 (p = 0.000). The articles written by a radiation oncologist as the first author had 5.92 authors while others for 7.82 (p = 0.025). Its number was 5.57 and 7.71 for the Journal of the Korean Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology and others (p = 0.000), respectively. Among the analysis, a significant difference in the average number of author per article was indicated. The out-degree centrality of network among authors was 4.26% (2.03.7.09%) while in-degree centrality was 1.31% (0.53.2.84%). The three significant nodes were classified and listed as following: Choi, Eun Kyung for 1991-1995, Kim, Dae Young for 1998-2001, Park, Won and Lee, Sang Wook for 2003-2010. Choi, Eun Kyung and Kim, Dae Young appeared in two cases, and ranked as the highest degree in centrality. In the key player analysis, Choi, Eun Kyung and Lee, Sang Wook appeared in two cases, and ranked as the highest. From the cluster analysis, Sungkyunkwan University, Seoul National University and Yonsei University revealed as the three large clusters when Ulsan University, Chonnam National University, and Korea Institute of Radiological & Medical Science as the medium clusters. CONCLUSION: The Korean radiation oncologist's society shows a closed network with numerous relationships among the particular clusters, and the result indicates it is different from other institutions in the pattern of co-authorship formation of the major hospitals.

Anti-inflammatory Effect of Quercetin on Picryl Chloride-induced Contact Dermatitis in BALB/c Mice / 한국실험동물학회지

In this study, we investigated that anti-inflammatory effect of quercetin on picryl chloride(PCL)-induced contact dermatitis in BALB/c Mice. Experimental animals were divided into three groups and comprising five animals. All groups of oral administration was begun on the first day of PCL treatment and ceased on day 5. For the induction of contact dermatitis, BALB/c mice were sensitized with 40 microliter of 1.5% picryl choloride (PCL) to the left and right ear, respectively. Ear swelling responses were much weaker in high-dose group (100 mg/kg) than control group (0 mg/kg). Total serum IgE levels and histamine levels were measured by sandwich ELISA method using mouse IgE, histamine measuring Kit. Both total serum IgE and histamine levels were significantly decreased in high-dose group (100 mg/kg) than other groups. Degranulation of mast cells were also confirmed by Toluidine Blue (TB) staining method. In high-dose group (100 mg/kg), the number of mast cells were significantly decreased and there are many mast cells were shown degranulation in control group (0 mg/kg). All of these results demonstrate that the pharmacological actions of quercetin indicate their potential activity for allergic inflammatory diseases through the down-regulation of mast cell activation.

Different Expressions of HIF-1alpha, Bcl-2 and Baxin DU145 Prostate Cancer Cells Transplanted in Nude Mouse between X-Ray and Neutron Irradiation / 대한방사선종양학회지

PURPOSE: To investigate the radiobiologic effects of neutron and X-ray irradiation on DU-145 prostate carcinoma cells by identifying the differences of HIF-1alpha expression and apoptosis. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Nude mice were injected with the human prostate cancer cell line, DU-145, and then irradiated with 2 Gy and 10 Gy X-rays, or 0.6 Gy and 3.3 Gy neutrons, respectively. The mice were sacrificed at 24 hours and 120 hours after irradiation. The expression levels of HIF-1alpha, Bcl-2 and Bax were compared with immunohistochemical staining and western blotting. The apoptotic indexes were compared with the Terminal deoxynucleotidyl biotin-dUTP nick and labeling (TUNEL) assay. RESULTS: At day 1, HIF-1alpha and Bcl-2 expression decreased, while Bax expression and the number of TUNEL positive cells increased in neutron irradiated groups for the control and X-ray irradiated groups. The Bcl-2/Bax ratio was significantly lower in the neutron irradiated groups regardless of dose (p=0.001). The same pattern of the differences in the expressions of the HIF-1alpha, Bcl-2, Bax, Bcl-2/Bax ratio, and apoptotic indexes were indentified at day 5. HIF-1alpha expression was related with Bcl-2 (p=0.031), Bax (p=0.037) expressions and the apoptotic indexes (p=0.016) at day 5. CONCLUSION: Neutron irradiation showed a decrease in HIF-1alpha, Bcl-2 expression, and Bcl-2/Bax ratio, but increased Bax expression regardless of dose. This study suggests that the differences radiobiological responses between photon and neutron irradiation may be related to different HIF-1alpha expression and subsequent apoptotic protein expressions.

Optimization and Limitation of Calcium Ionophore to Generate DCs from Acute Myeloid Leukemic Cells / Journal of the Korean Cancer Association, 대한암학회지

PURPOSE: Calcium ionophore (CI) is used to generate dendritic cells (DCs) from progenitor cells, monocytes, or leukemic cells. The aim of this study was to determine the optimal dose of CI and the appropriate length of cell culture required for acute myeloid leukemia (AML) cells and to evaluate the limitations associated with CI. MATERIALS AND METHODS: To generate leukemic DCs, leukemic cells (4 x 10(6) cells) from six AML patients were cultured with various concentrations of CI and/or IL-4 for 1, 2 or 3 days. RESULTS: Potent leukemic DCs were successfully generated from all AML patients, with an average number of 1.2 x 10(6) cells produced in the presence of CI (270 ng/ml) for 2 days. Several surface molecules were clearly upregulated in AML cells supplemented with CI and IL-4, but not CD11c. Leukemic DCs cultured with CI had a higher allogeneic T cell stimulatory capacity than untreated AML cells, but the addition of IL-4 did not augment the MLR activity of these cells. AML cells cultured with CI in the presence or absence of IL-4 showed increased levels of apoptosis in comparison to primary cultures of AML cells. CONCLUSION: Although CI appears to be advantageous in terms of time and cost effectiveness, the results of the present study suggest that the marked induction of apoptosis by CI limits its application to the generation of DCs from AML cells.

Clinical Efficacy of Thalidomide Containing Regimens as a Primary Therapy in Patients with Multiple Myeloma / 대한혈액학회지

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to assess the efficacy and toxicity of thalidomide-containing regimens as the first-line therapy for patients with multiple myeloma. METHODS: A total of 60 patients were initially treated with thalidomide-containing regimens at three institutions. Thalidomide was given with two different regimens: the TD regimen (thalidomide and dexamethasone) and the TCD regimen (thalidomide, cyclophosphamide, and dexamethasone). Autologous peripheral blood stem cells (PBSC) were collected after mobilizing with G-CSF with or without cyclophosphamide. RESULTS: Of all the patients, 56 patients (TD regimen: 12 patients, TCD regimen: 44 patients) who received at least 4 cycles or more were evaluated for response and toxicity. The median age of the patients was 65.5 years (age range: 39~80 years). The overall response rate for the thalidomide-containing regimens was 85.5%. There were 3 (25%) complete responses and 6 (50%) partial responses for the TD regimen and there were 17 (38.6%) complete responses and 21 (47.7%) partial responses for the TCD regimen, respectively. The toxicity, according to the NCI-CTC (grade 3/4) included neutropenia in 7 patients (12.5%), thrombocytopenia in 4 patients (7.1%), infection in 6 patients (10.7%) and neuropathy in 10 patients (17.8%). In addition, there were 2 patients (3.6%) with thrombosis. Thirteen patients, who achieved more than a partial response to the thalidomide-containing regimen, proceeded to PBSC collection and the median number of CD34+ cells collected was 3.8 x 106/kg. CONCLUSION: Thalidomide-based combination chemotherapy is a safe, well tolerated and effective regimen for patients with newly diagnosed multiple myeloma, and it showed a high response rates, relatively low toxicity and sufficient collection of PBSCs.

Induction of Myeloma Cell Line-specific Cytotoxic T Lymphocytes using Monocyte-derived Dendritic Cells Pulsed with Myeloma Cell Line Lysates / 대한혈액학회지

BACKGROUND: In multiple myeloma (MM), the idiotype (ID) determinant of the paraprotein has been used for immunotherapy using dendritic cells (DCs). However, ID-specific immune responses showed limited clinical responses after the Id vaccination. Therefore, an alternative approach using DCs pulsed with other tumor antigens is required. METHODS: We investigated the possibility of immunotherapy for MM using myeloma cell line-specific cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs), that were stimulated in vitro by monocyte-derived DCs pulsed with the myeloma cell line ysates. CD14+ cells isolated from the peripheral blood of HLA-A0201+ healthy donors were cultured in the presence of GM-CSF and IL-4. On day 6, the immature DCs were pulsed with the myeloma cell line lysates (IM-9: HLA0201+ and ARH-77: HLA0201+), and then maturation of DCs was induced by the addition of TNF- alpha for 2 days. CTL lines were generated by a 2 time stimulation with DCs to the autologous CD3+ T cells. RESULTS: DCs pulsed with myeloma cell lysates showed the production of IL-12p70, but less than that of unpulsed DCs. CTLs lines stimulated with the DCs pulsing, for the myeloma cell line lysates, showed potent cytotoxic activities against autologous target cells, but not against HLA-A2-cell lines (RPMI-8226). Mature DCs pulsed with the myeloma cell line lysates showed a higher stimulatory capacity for autologous CTL when compared with mature non-pulsed DCs. CONCLUSION: These results suggest that DCs pulsed with the myeloma cell line lysates can generate potent myeloma cell line-specific CTLs for the myeloma cell-based immunotherapeutic approach in MM.

Selective Expansion of Natural Killer Cells from Peripheral Blood Mononuclear Cells by K562 Cell Line and IL-2 / 대한혈액학회지

BACKGROUND: Several attempts have been made to expand human NK cells from peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs). This study examined the selective expansion of NK cells using interleukin 2 (IL-2) plus the K562 cell line, the expression of the NK cell receptors, and the cytotoxic activity. METHODS: The PBMCs from seven healthy volunteers were cultured in a medium containing the IL-2 plus the K562 cell line for 14 days. The expression of the activating and inhibitory receptors on the resting NK cells and the 72 hr-expanded NK cells were analyzed. A flow cytometric cytotoxic assay was used to determined the killing activity of the non-expanded NK cells and the 7 day-expanded NK cells against the K562 target cells. RESULTS: The NK cells from PBMCs expanded 4.5-fold after 7 days, and contained 56.5% CD3-CD56+ cells. The IL-2 or IL-2 plus K562 increased the expression levels of CD158b (MFI, mean florescence intensity), CD158e1/e2 (MFI), and NKp44 (MFI), while it decreased the expression levels of NKp30 (%), CD16 (MFI), and 2B4 (MFI). The non-expanded NK cells lysed 9.0% and 27.6% of the K562 target cells in the 1 : 1 and 5 : 1 effector and target ratio, respectively, and the 7-day expanded NK cells lysed 36.9% and 57.2% of the K562 target cells, respectively. CONCLUSION: The selective expansion of CD3-CD56+ NK cells occurred only during 7 days of culture. IL-2 or IL-2 plus the K562 cells altered the expression of various activating and inhibitory receptors of NK cells, and the cytotoxicity of the expanded NK cells was higher than in the non-expanded cells.

Adaptive Responses Induced by Low Dose Radiation in Dentate Gyrus of Rats

The purpose of this study is to investigate the mechanism of alternative responses to low dose irradiation for neuronal cell proliferation in the dentate gyrus of rats. To determine the effect of a single exposure to radiation, rats were irradiated with a single dose of 0.1, 1, 10 or 20 Gy. To determine the effect of the cumulative dose, the animals were irradiated daily with 0.01 Gy or 0.1 Gy from 1 to 4 days. The neuronal cell proliferation was evaluated using immunohistochemistry for 5-bromo-2'-deoxyuridine (BrdU), Ki-67 and terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated dUTP nick end-labeling (TUNEL) staining. Four consecutive daily irradiations with a 0.01 Gy/fraction increased the number of BrdU-positive and Ki-67-positive cells in a dose dependent manner, but this did not affect the number of TUNEL-positive cells. However, there was not a dose dependent relationship for the 0.1 Gy/fraction irradiation with the number of BrdU, Ki-67 and TUNEL positive cells. Our data support the explanation that the adaptive response, induced by low-dose radiation, in the hippocampus of rats is more likely a reflection of the perturbations of cell cycle progression.

Fournier's Gangrene: Clinical Analysis of 11 Patients

PURPOSE: Fournier's gangrene is a rare and rapidly progressive infection of the genitalia, perineum, and abdominal wall. The mortality rate from this infection ranges from 0 to 67 percent. One of the most important determinants of the overall outcome is early recognition and extensive surgical debridement combined with broad-spectrum antibiotics therapy. The objective of this study was to review the clinical outcomes of 11 consecutive patients who suffered with Fournier's gangrene and the related medical literature to highlight the current status of this disease. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed the records of 11 patients with the Fournier's gangrene who had been treated at Gyeongsang National University Hospital between March 1995 and March 2005. RESULTS: The mean age was 60 years (range: 38~82), and the male to female ratio was 8 : 3. The most common cause of Fournier's gangrene was perianal abscess (n=4, 36.3%) and the most common disease associated with Fournier's gangrene was diabetes mellitus (n=6, 54.5%). The most common cultured organisms were E. coli and K. pneumoniae. We performed aggressive surgical debridement combined with broad spectrum antibiotics therapy. The number of surgical procedures per patients ranged between 1 and 7 (mean: 2.63). Diverting colostomy was required in 36.3% (n=4) of the cases. Two cases received reconstructive plastic surgery. The mortality rate of 11 patients was 27.2% (n=3) and the cause of death was sepsis. CONCLUSION: Fournier's gangrene is a life-threatening disease, but the mortality rate can be diminished via early diagnosis, aggressive surgical intervention, and the use of broad- spectrum antibiotics.

Low Dose Radiation Overcomes Diabetes-induced Suppression of Hippocampal Neuronal Cell Proliferation in Rats

We investigated the effect of low dose radiation on diabetes induced suppression of neurogenesis in the hippocampal dentate gyrus of rat. After 0.01 Gy, 0.1 Gy, 1 Gy and 10 Gy radiation was delivered, the dentate gyrus of hippocampus of streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic rats were evaluated using immunohistochemistry for 5-bromo-2-deoxyuridine (BrdU), caspase-3, and terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated nick end-labeling (TUNEL) staining. The number of BrdU positive cells in the non-diabetic rats, diabetic rats without radiation, diabetic rats with 0.01 Gy radiation, diabetic rats with 0.1 Gy radiation, diabetic rats with 1 Gy radiation and diabetic rats with 10 Gy radiation were 55.4+/-8.5/mm2, 33.3+/-6.4/mm2, 67.7+/-10.5/mm2, 66.6+/-10.0/mm2, 23.5+/-6.3/mm2 and 14.3+/-7.2/mm2, respectively. The number of caspase-3 positive cells was 132.6+/-37.4/mm2, 378.6+/-99.1/mm2, 15.0+/-2.8/mm2, 57.1+/-16.9/mm2, 191.8+/-44.8/mm2 and 450.4+/-58.3/mm2, respectively. The number of TUNEL-positive cells was 24.5+/-2.0/mm2, 21.7+/-4.0/mm2, 20.4+/-2.0/mm2, 18.96+/-2.1/mm2, 58.3+/-7.9/mm2, and 106.0+/-9.8/mm2, respectively. These results suggest low doses of radiation paradoxically improved diabetes induced neuronal cell suppression in the hippocampal dentate gyrus of rat.